Recipe Light

March 13, 2009 | by Charles Platkin, PhD

Most of us know by now that eating out is the easiest way to add pounds, but cooking seems out of vogue even though cookbooks sell like hotcakes. Maybe we use them as coffee table books, or perhaps we're just in love with the romantic idea of cooking. In fact, I've always been a cookbook skeptic — who has the time to buy the ingredients, go through all those steps — when you can whip up the old staples without giving it a thought?

But I'm a convert. When they are done right, and the instructions are clear — wow! I decided I'd cook a number of recipes and see how they tasted. My criteria? They had to be easy to prepare, fun to make, very low in calories, carbs and fat, and they had to taste great — an important criterion for any Calorie Bargain.

Black-Bean Griddle PattiesCary Neff's book Conscious Cuisine (Sourcebooks, 2002) really is a treat. The Black-Bean Griddle Patties are terrific as a meal or even appetizers. Add a bit of salsa or any low-calorie condiment, and these bean patties will impress the most skeptical critic. These vegetarian burgers have a high protein content because of the black beans, which help bind them. As for calories — three burgers add up to only 240 — not bad.

Preparation:Heat a saute pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Add 3/4 cup of the beans, the red onion, garlic, and corn. Cook until the onion has just softened, about 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a food processor, process the remaining one cup of the beans until smooth. Add the egg whites, cilantro, oregano, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper. Mix the pureed beans with the sauteed beans.

Using 1/4 cup at a time, form the bean mixture into patties and coat with cornmeal. Heat a griddle over medium-high heat and coat with olive oil spray. Brown the cakes on both sides, about two minutes each. Keep in a warm oven until ready to serve.

New Orleans-Style Barbecue ShrimpTerry Conlan is the famed chef at Lake Austin Spa Resort in Texas and author of Fresh: Healthy Cooking and Living from Lake Austin Spa Resort (Favorite Recipe Press, 2003). The preparation and cooking times were a bit longer than the others, but this is a true healthy, gourmet recipe, possible for a rank beginner to make with amazing results. Be sure you have the ingredients prepped before you start cooking. This dish is a real Calorie Bargain at about 300 calories for two servings — you will be stuffed, very impressed with your newfound cooking skills, and you will not believe that eating healthy can be this good. As far as taste, even though the dish has no cream, you'll be surprised at how thick and rich the sauce is — in fact, you will probably want to use it for other foods. Oh, and don't worry about the seafood stock — it's easy to find.

Preparation:Mix the paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, white pepper, thyme, oregano and salt in a bowl; set aside. Spray a nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp and saute just until the shrimp begin to turn pink. Add the spice mixture, garlic and onion. Cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Whisk the flour, beer, Worcestershire sauce and stock in a bowl. Pour into the skillet and cook, stirring constantly for one minute. Reduce the heat and add the butter, one piece at a time. Shake the skillet gently just until the butter melts. Divide the shrimp and sauce among four wide-bottom soup bowls. Garnish with parsley and serve with bread for dunking.

Asian-Style GazpachoGazpacho is a great cold soup for any season. It's very easy to prepare, and you will marvel at the taste — it's refreshing and so low in calories (as well as fat and carbs) that you can't go wrong.

Preparation:Place the tomatoes in a two- or three-quart saucepan over low heat. Add the broth, sherry, cilantro, soy sauce, scallions and ginger. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for a few minutes. Puree in a food processor or blender. Chill.

Right before serving, stir in the chili sauce. Grate the peel from one lime and add it to the soup. Squeeze the juice from both limes into the soup. Serve in chilled bowls.

Send in your unique "calorie-saving recipe" using the low calorie criteria to info@thedietdetective.com. If your recipe is published, you'll receive a $20 check and a free copy of the forthcoming book "The Automatic Diet."

Created: March 13, 2009
Last Reviewed: March 18, 2010

CHARLES PLATKIN, Ph.D., M.P.H., THE DIET DETECTIVE is one of the country's leading nutrition and public health advocates, whose syndicated health, nutrition and fitness column, the Diet Detective appears in more than 100 daily newspapers and media outlets nationally. Dr. Platkin is also the founder of DietDetective.com, which offers nutrition, food, and fitness information. Platkin is a health expert and blogger featured on Everydayhealth.com, Active.com and Fitnessmagazine.com. Additionally, Platkin is a Distinguished Lecturer at the Hunter College School of Urban Public Health and CUNY School of Public Health in New York City.

The information provided on this site is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her existing physician.

The information provided on this site is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between a patient/site visitor and his/her existing physician.